Recipe: Bounty in a Jar

Last week I took the plunge and bought a Thermomix. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved my Bellini and it’s still working great. But many of the things I want to make really work better with the more powerful motor of the Thermomix. Since the new TM5 was announced, there’s been a flood of TM31 owners listing their machines for sale so they can upgrade. I took advantage of that and snagged a secondhand TM31 for $1200 – $700 off RRP.

I’ve started testing out the Thermomix and Bellini against each other for a future post. Today I made coconut butter (works OK in the Bellini, by the way – but much faster in the Thermomix). But I wasn’t in the mood for it plain. Since we’re a household of diehard chocoholics, chocolate immediately sprang to mind. And thus this deliciousness was born.

Fresh off the cook cycle. Vast self-discipline was required to leave some for the jars.

I decided to make a chocolate spread for a change from jam on our toast. (We don’t buy Nutella because it’s expensive, over-sugared, and made with rather nasty vegetable oil.) When I fed some to the Raccoon for the all-important taste test, he made all sorts of happy noises and said “It tastes like a Bounty bar, but runny!” Hence the name.

I used this recipe from Quirky Cooking as a base, and tripled the amounts. (You’re welcome.) It’s divine on its own, but you could add some cayenne pepper for a nice kick, or cinnamon, or a slug of vanilla or peppermint essence… The customisation options are endless.

I’m going to work on a no-chocolate version, too. Block chocolate is a precious commodity around here and a little part of me resents putting it in the cooking. I’m weird, I know.

Bounty in a Jar

200g desiccated coconut (shredded or flaked is fine too)

65g cocoa powder

100g castor sugar – if using other sugar, grind it first (1 min/Sp 9) to make the crystals smaller

First make your coconut butter. Weigh the coconut into the Thermomix bowl and process for 1 min 30 sec/37°C/Speed 1. Scrape down the sides and repeat, using the spatula to scrape the coconut off the sides of the bowl as it processes. (Using heat isn’t strictly necessary, but it helps to liquefy the coconut oil as it’s released from the flesh and helps it process better.) If you’re using a Bellini, you may need to repeat the procedure one more time.

Add all other ingredients in the order listed. Process for 7 minutes/60°C/Speed 4. You’ll hear the chocolate chunks clanking around the bowl for the first 3-4 minutes, but don’t worry – they’ll melt in and incorporate nicely. Doing it this way saves an extra step and an extra bowl.

Pour the delicious coconut-chocolate goodness into clean, preferably sterilised jars and put in the fridge to set. I recommend short jars with wide mouths. They’re easier to pour into and easier to scrape out of once the spread is firm. This recipe half filled the Thermomix jug and fit nicely into two salsa jars (300g) and a small Vegemite jar.

It should keep for about three weeks, assuming it lasts that long.

I highly recommend washing the jug as soon as it’s scraped out. This stuff sets fast when it’s a thin smear on metal, and is kind of a pain to get off later. Just put about 500mL of water and a small drop of dish detergent in the jug, and blend for 40-50 seconds on Speed 8-9. Use a dish brush to scrub the last bits off the top of the jug and the lid. Can’t get much easier than that!